


A Favor

by BeStillMySlashyHeart



Category: The Magicians (TV)
Genre: Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Gen, M/M, Post-Canon Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-18
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2020-01-16 05:20:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18514720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeStillMySlashyHeart/pseuds/BeStillMySlashyHeart
Summary: Quentin died locking away the Monster siblings. thereby saving the world and, more importantly for Quentin, saving the Old Gods from having to face their wrath. When Q prepares to move on, he's given a final choice - peace everlasting or one more chance at life on Earth.





	A Favor

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo yeah. This is my fix it for that finale
> 
> the majority of this is on tumblr as a ficlet  here 

Quentin took one last glance over his shoulder at Penny. The man, so different from the one he’d known on Earth, just nodded encouragingly. He was so earnest about it that Quentin couldn’t help but nod in return, his back straightening as he turned to face the unassuming doorway. 

It was only a few short steps to the other side but it felt like he’d run a marathon. His heart was thumping and the sense of relief at finally being done, of having reached the end, nearly overwhelmed him.

He looked around himself, taking in this new place he was in. To say it wasn’t what he expected would be an understatement. He wasn’t sure what the Other Side or whatever was supposed to look like but an office wasn’t it. 

It was a grand office, to be sure, but it was undoubtedly an  _office_. His eyebrows knitted as he turned in place, searching every corner to confirm what he was seeing. This didn’t appear to be an illusion or some form of trickery. 

Penny had sent him to a fucking office.

What a dick.

The double doors on the far side of the room swung open and a tall man walked in. He was physically imposing but other than that Quentin couldn’t describe him. He seemed to change shape and age and ethnicity every time Quentin blinked. Next to him was a more familiar face.

Zelda.

“Wha-?”

“Hello, Quentin,” Zelda greeted him. Quentin just nodded dumbly back. She gestured at the chairs arranged in front of the large desk the mystery man was seating himself at. “Have a seat.”

He did. “What’s going on? I thought I was….moving on?” He looked between the two but neither were giving anything away. 

Zelda exchanged a nervous glance with the man but when he said nothing she stepped forward. “You were. And you can.” She stressed. “But we are here to give you a choice.”

“A choice?”

“You sealed away the Monster and his Sister.” The mystery man spoke, his voice a deep baritone that seemed to shake the room.

“Yes?” Quentin replied, somehow unsure of his own accomplishment.

“They were planning to kill me.” Quentin’s eyes widened. “And you stopped them so I am offering you a choice.”

“You’re Zeus,” Quentin breathed. The king of the Old Gods. 

“Yes.” Zeus agreed simply. “Now about your choice.” He nodded to Zelda and the woman turned to to Quentin.

“Quentin Coldwater, your book has ended.” She told him.

“Yeah, I know, I was there. Just did the whole Secrets to the Grave thing.”

She closed her eyes briefly and waved his words away. “But books can be rewritten.  _If_  permitted by higher powers.” She nodded to Zeus. “So now you have a choice. You can use the pass Penny gave you and continue on to your final destination.” As she spoke, Zeus waved a hand at the wall behind Quentin. He turned to see two doorways forming, one a soft shimmery gold, the other a vibrant green. He turned back to Zelda. 

“Or?”

“ _Or_  you can go back to Earth. To your life. The Old Gods have graciously offered to rebuild your body and return your soul to it. If you choose to, of course.”

Quentin’s jaw dropped open and he stared at her wide eyed. “What? So then why did I just go through all of that with Penny?”

Zelda pursed her lips.

“Because there are consequences to messing with the natural order. Even I’m not sure exactly what they might be,” Zeus admitted. “Zelda suggested we make the offer once you’d had time to process your death or whatever,” he waved a hand as if the concept held no meaning to him.

“This is not a decision to be made lightly, Quentin. I didn’t want you to make a knee-jerk reaction and insist on going back because you hadn’t had time to think it over. But you walked through that doorway willingly, fully accepting your fate.” Zelda told him. “You can go back. Or you can continue forward.”

“But you must decide now. This is not an unlimited offer.”

Quentin looked between the two before turning to look at the doorways. He  _had_  accepted his fate. And part of him had embraced the idea of eternal peace or whatever it may that was waiting for him on the other side. 

But he’d left people he loved behind and how could he be at peace knowing that they weren’t hurting from the loss of him? How could he let them suffer when he could easily stop it?

Zelda was right. If she had offered this to him immediately, he wouldn’t have thought about it, he would’ve just gone back. But he’d had time to process it with Penny and see that while his friends were hurting, they would all be okay. 

But Penny had taken him back. Had  _shown_ him his friends. Had let him see Eliot. Monster-free at last and that- well that was where they’d made their mistake. Because Quentin had had bare moments of just seeing Eliot again and now all he wanted was to feel him and hold him and be held by him. 

He glanced at the golden doorway. If he walked through it, it would be over. All of the shit he’d gone through, all of the heartache and the misery and the failure. It would be gone. Done. No more.

He turned around and wrung his hands. “One time offer? No redos?”

Zeus stood to his full height and nodded. “You die again, that’s it.”

Quentin nodded and looked to Zelda. Her lips were pressed tightly together and she looked worried but her eyes were soft. She understood even if she didn’t approve. 

Because really, she’d read his book. And she knew before she even offered what his choice would be. Quentin had spent his whole life fighting, mostly against his own depression, and he couldn’t give up now. He gave her a sharp nod and handed over the Underworld pass.

It only took two steps to reach the green doorway and another to pass through it.

The light was blinding. Quentin had to close his eyes for a moment to let them adjust and while he did he heard it.

“ _Q”_ It was little more than a breath but it was Eliot.

He opened his eyes wide, ignoring the sun’s rays and stared across the remains of the previous night’s bonfire. Eliot was still in the same place Quentin had seen him last, his cane propped up next to him and his eyes wide with disbelief.

Quentin smiled. It grew until it bubbled into laughter and then he couldn’t contain himself again. He was  _alive_  and so was Eliot and they were both here. He stepped over the ashes and fell to his knees in front of Eliot. It was hard to say who reached for who first - all Quentin knew was that he had Eliot in his arms again. 

“How?”

Quentin laughed. “Turns out saving all of the Old Gods from near certain death earns you a favor.”

"So they just-"

"They literally gave me my life back. The Library is already rewriting my story as we speak and I get a new start. Fuck I am so happy to see you."

Eliot huffed out a watery laugh, tears already spilling down both of their cheeks. He pulled Quentin back into a tight embrace. "Don't ever do that to me again Coldwater, you hear?"

"I promise."

"I woke up in a hospital bed to Margo telling me your dead. I spent  _months_ trying to get back to you so that I could tell you the truth and you had the audacity to go and die on me before I could. Don't think I won't forget this." Eliot was trying so hard to keep his voice light and teasing but Quentin could hear how much he had hurt and scared him.

Quentin pulled away gently until he could see Eliot's face. "Tell me the truth?"

"Fuck Q," Eliot let out. "Forget about it. I have really bad timing."

"No tell me."

"Q-"

"Eliot. I  _died_. Part of why I came back when they offered it, a huge part of it, is because I couldn't leave you." Quentin wanted to run away from this conversation but he didn't move a muscle. It was time to be brave. "I just spent the better of a year living with a Monster in your body. Every day I told myself we were going to get you back. I was prepared to sacrifice everything and everyone, to do whatever it took, just to get you back. I didn't care what the consequences were. I just wanted you. So like hell was I going to die and miss out on actually having you. I've had to be without you once, I won't do it again."

Eliot stared at him for a moment before cupping his face and pulling him into a kiss. Quentin froze in surprise before melting into his and clutching at Eliot's shoulders. 

"Do you know how I talked to you in the park that day?" Eliot's voice was soft when they parted. "I had to confront my biggest regret." He brushed a hand through Quentin's hair before settling it on his neck. "It was that day, in Fillory after the quest that never was. When we got our memories back and you asked me to try and I said no. Q, that was the biggest regret of my life and I told myself if I ever got free of the Monster I would be brave and I would be honest and fuck, Q, I love you so much. I said no because I was scared that you were only asking because of residual memory feelings and I didn't want to have you only to watch you walk away from me when those feelings faded."

Quentin shook his head. "They never faded. And they are never going to fade. Jesus, El, I love you too." He surged forwards and captured Eliot's lips.

Time escaped them for a moment. Quentin shifted until he was sitting next to Eliot but other than that they didn't move. They just sat there exchanging long, slow easy kisses that melded one into another, enjoying the reality that they were both alive and  _here_. 

"Q?!" Julia's gasp finally separated them. Quentin pulled away from Eliot to see Julia frozen in shock a few feet behind Eliot. 

"Hey Jules."

Julia gasped and dropped the deck of cards she was holding, the cards fluttering everywhere as she hurried towards them. Eliot nudged Quentin into motion a half second later and he met her in the middle.

As she swept him into a hug, he saw the rest of their little band of questers spill out of the cabin and he smiled. He was home.


End file.
